Saturday, June 28th, 2003

The Yellowstone Experience...

I am not religious, but I often say that if there's a God, Yellowstone National Park is evidence enough that He has not only a sense of humor, but also a rampant imagination. Yellowstone is perhaps one of the most surreal places on Earth, and as such it is one of my favorite places to go. Its dynamic nature keeps it in a state of constant change, and in this park... nature will not hesitate to show you who's boss.

Those who aren't so interested in Yellowstone are most likely those who merely drove through it, stopped to see Old Faithful, and left all in one afternoon... or, those who haven't been there at all.      Yellowstone is rare. I can't press this enough. Yellowstone is rare because geysers are rare. It is also rare because Yellowstone sits upon a natural hotspot... it's one of the world's largest active volcanoes, but few people bother to understand that. Added onto its unique geology is a variety of wild animals, giant waterfalls, and travertine terraces.

Yellowstone is home to more than half of the world's geysers, with around 500 in the records. At second place is Dolina Geizerov in Russia with about 200.      In definition, geysers are hot springs with pressure-tight plumbing systems that go through cycles of building pressure, and eruption due to that pressure reaching its breaking point. Volcanoes aren't rare, and neither are hot springs. What makes a geyser so rare is a mineral called rhyolite, rich in silica (quartz) that is compounded into geyserite. This geyserite is often what gives hot springs and geysers their distinct, strangely shaped cones, mounds, or ridges.

To the right is Grotto Geyser, a resident of the Upper Geyser Basin. Its interesting shape is due to years and years of geyserite forming over tree stumps. Though Grotto displays the most interesting outward signs of what geyserite can do, imagine a plumbing system with geyserite building onto it. Eventually, the pipes will form small reservoirs blocked significantly by geyserite. However, the pressure from hot water and steam builds and builds until the reservoirs can no longer contain it. The result- a geyser eruption.

Of course, there are geysers that eventually blow their plumbing systems to bits. To the left is the Excelsior Geyser Crater in the Midway Geyser Basin. Don't let the photo fool you- Excelsior is gigantic, and discharges some 4,050 gallons of water every minute into the Firehole River. Its eruptions once reached up to 300 feet, and it erupted frequently. Its last great eruption was in 1890, when its pressure chambers were wrecked. The overwhelming discharge is actually its vents "leaking", in other words, the underground water reservoirs aren't able

to build up enough pressure to allow for any serious activity. Nonetheless, I am always awed by Excelsior. Though no longer a geyser, its boiling surges can reach over six feet in height, and it boils violently in several places. It is certainly one of the most grand features in Yellowstone.

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